This invention relates to a control arrangement for towing winches of the type used in the construction, logging, pipeline-laying, mining and reclamation industries.
A conventional winch is normally actuated by a power take-off from the engine of a construction vehicle on which the winch is mounted. A typical winch of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,171 wherein a pair of winch clutches are operatively connectible to a cable drum to place the winch in the following modes of operation: "Reel-out" wherein only one of the winch clutches is engaged to pay-out the cable by rotating the drum in a first direction; "Reel-in" wherein only the other one of the winch clutches is engaged to rotate the cable drum in a second opposite direction; or "Brake-on" wherein both of the winch clutches are engaged to prevent rotation of the cable drum. It has been found desirable to further employ a disconnect clutch of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,852, for example, in the drive train between the winch clutches and the cable drum to permit the cable drum to "freewheel" upon disconnection of the disconnect clutch.
It has been found further desirable to provide control means for actuation of such disconnect clutch. When the disconnect clutch is in its disengaged condition of operation, inadvertent movement of the control handle for the winch clutches to place them in their reel-in or reel-out mode of operation could expose the disconnect clutch to damage upon re-engagement thereof. This possibility is particularly apparent with respect to a disconnect clutch of the axially engaging positive-type.